Neighbors & Friends
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: Dr. Spencer Reid's losing sleep, but this time, it's not because of blinding headaches or other problems. He's got a new neighbor. When his co-workers try to give him a hand in the romance department, will they do more harm than good? Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

"Reid?"

"Reid!"

"Huh, what?" Spencer Reid started at his boss's voice shouting at him, the folder he was holding in his hands dropped to the table. He looked up to see Hotchner staring at him with his mouth slightly downturned. A glance around the table showed the rest of the team - Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, and Rossi staring at him, as well.

"Are you with us? I know these case evaluations aren't as exciting as an active case, but they are important," Hotch said.

"I'm here. I'm good. Sorry."

Hotch nodded and continued on with his narrative. Spencer attempted to follow along, but the lack of sleep over the past couple of days - not of his doing - was playing havoc with his ability to concentrate. Given the lack of valid cases in the past couple of days, the team had been tasked with reviewing old cases for further review. It was important work, and something he usually enjoyed doing, but his mind wasn't in it.

"Hey, Reid," whispered Morgan to his left. "You okay, man?"

"Later," Spencer replied.

Morgan nodded and resumed his work.

Two hours later, Hotch let them break for 15, and Morgan stayed Spencer with a hand on his arm. He waited for the rest of the crew to depart before saying, "Well? What's going on, man? Are you sick? Is it your mom?"

Spencer shook his head with a grin. "No, and I almost wish it were. I could handle being sick, and I've been taking care of my mother my entire life."

"Then what is it? You've been out of it and distracted all week."

Spencer shook his head again. "It's nothing, really, but I can tell you're not going to let me out of this room unless I tell you, and my mind's dying for some coffee right now. I've got a new neighbor."

Morgan waited for Spencer to continue, but apparently, that was the extent of his friend and co-worker's explanation. "A new neighbor?"

"Yeah," Spencer said with a hefty sigh. He stood up from his chair and moved toward the door, but Morgan stayed him again.

"That's it? You've been acting like this because you have a new neighbor?"

"Yep," Spencer replied, then headed directly to the kitchen area. He figured he could get in a couple cups of strong coffee and at least a PowerBar to get him through the rest of the day, then hopefully head home for as much sleep as he could muster before the noise started again next door.

But, unfortunately for him, Morgan didn't accept his perfectly acceptable answer and was hot on his heels all the way to the kitchen. When they got there, it seemed the rest of the team had the same idea as him, and they were all sat around the table, with Prentiss standing at the counter staring at the coffee pot. Since she had the brew going already, he sat down at an empty chair and pulled a PowerBar from his bag.

"I hope you're making that strong," JJ said. "These case rehashes are almost putting me to sleep."

"I am," Prentiss said. "Who else wants some?"

Spencer raised his hand, as did Morgan, so she pulled down their respective mugs from the cabinet.

Morgan took a chair beside Reid and continued to stare at him as he did a few minutes ago.

"What?" Spencer finally asked.

"I'm waiting for you to finish your story," Morgan said.

"What story?" JJ and Prentiss asked simultaneously.

Spencer rolled his eyes at his co-workers, and then again when Penelope Garcia came walking in, her high heels clacking loudly on the tile. "Who's telling a story?"

"Reid is, baby girl," Morgan said, reaching out to pull out the chair beside him for Penelope. "So, kid, let's have it."

Spencer's mouth fell open at the sudden attention focused on him - everyone was staring at him as if he were Santa Claus with a bag full of toys at the mall. "Guys, it's nothing, really."

Morgan scoffed beside him. "You said you got a new neighbor, and that's what's been bothering you. Now, spill."

"A new neighbor?" Penelope piped up. "Who is she? Or he? Which neighbor moved out? Was it that old lady who stole your gift baskets I left for you?"

Spencer smiled, remembering how, when he was holed up in his apartment grieving for Maeve, Penelope had filled the hallway outside his apartment with various gift baskets. She said she'd left seven, but Spencer was sure Mrs. Cavanaugh, his elderly neighbor at the time, had filched one or two.

"Well?" JJ said.

"Okay, okay, geez, you guys. It's a she. And yes, Penelope, it's the 'old lady' who lived next to me. Apparently, she died, and her granddaughter's taken over the place."

"Ooh, a new neighbor," JJ said, raising her eyebrows at him. "Is she cute?"

Spencer closed his eyes briefly before looking around at the well-meaning group. "Guys, I appreciate your concern for my love life, but right now, all I want to do is be able to sleep through the night."

"Oh, no. So you've gone from a nice, quiet grandmother neighbor to a young, loud one, huh?" Penelope asked.

"Exactly," Spencer said.

Prentiss had finished preparing their coffee and sat his full mug in front of him. He took a large drink and continued, "I guess everything happened the last time we were out on a case. When we got back, I noticed it was quieter than usual, but then a few days ago - or should I say nights ago - I started hearing all this movement and sounds. I thought Mrs. Cavanaugh had fallen or something, so I went over and knocked, but Mrs. Cavanaugh didn't answer the door."

He took another drink and settled back in the chair. "A young woman did, and she wasn't very happy with me pounding on her door at midnight."

"She's the one making all the noise, and she was mad at you?" Prentiss scoffed.

Reid nodded. "Yes, she was, and I couldn't even explain that I'd heard all this sound, and I was inquiring as to the welfare of Mrs. Cavanaugh. She just launched into this long-winded, harried explanation that she'd been in classes all day and didn't have time to chat with nosy neighbors. Then she slammed the door in my face."

"So she's a student. Is she a relative of Mrs. Cavanaugh?"

"I'm assuming," Reid said. "I saw behind her a few seconds, and the place is a mess, and Mrs. Cavanaugh was a stickler for cleanliness. Anyway, that was a few nights ago, and it's been the same thing every night since then. I'm dreading going home after today."

"If it weren't the worst thing I could possibly say, I almost wish we had a case so you could get a good night's sleep in a hotel somewhere," JJ said with a laugh.

"You could always take my couch until this girl gets fully moved in," Penelope offered with a smile.

"Thanks, guys, but I think I'll just put some ear plugs in and hope for the best."

That, Spencer thought, or maybe bedding down on the couch in Morgan's office. He's seen his friend do that numerous times. Though he'd gone days without a good night's sleep before, it was usually due to his headaches or his mom or something to do with him personally. Someone else causing his lack of sleep annoyed him to no end.

"Well, guys, I think our break time is up," Morgan said. "Let's head back."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Delving into the world of Criminal Minds after bidding adieu to my normal go-to of Covert Affairs for fanfiction. I did a oneshot, Like a Cat, that was well-received. My favorite character, though, is Dr. Spencer Reid. Good-looking, smart, and heroic. My perfect mate. :) But he needs some lovin'. Not going for an out-and-out, hot-n-heavy romance here. Taking it slow as I get the feel for Criminal Minds world.**

**Hope you all like it. It'll be my norm of Romance/Humor fan fiction. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day fared better for Spencer, if only because telling his co-workers and friends seemed to lift the burden off of him, at least mentally. Morgan's offer of his couch for a couple of hours that afternoon cleared his head, as well, and when he woke, he came to a decision. He'd approach his new neighbor again, but this time as soon as he got home. There was no need to wait until the noises started again.

When he was leaving, Penelope had offered to come with him for mortal support, but he declined. Now, though, as he stood in front of his neighbor's door, he wished he had brought her along.

He shook his head at himself. He'd faced down serial killers, psychopaths, sociopaths, rapists, and he finds himself nervous at the prospect of talking to someone who'd done nothing more than make some noise and talk harshly to him once?

No, he could do this. He raised his hand and knocked a few times on the wooden door.

* * *

><p>"Well? What happened next?" JJ asked, leaning forward in her seat.<p>

The rest of the team - Morgan, Prentiss, Hotch, and Rossi - were sitting around in the various seats on the Gulfstream. They were on their way to Texas for a case, and after briefing and throwing around ideas, they were about to settle into their normal routine while waiting for the plane to land when Penelope, via the video link, asked Reid about his new neighbor. He really hoped that his co-workers had forgotten about what he'd told them last week, but, as the self-proclaimed big sister, Penelope always seemed to be looking out for their personal lives, as well as performing her work duties.

Now she stared at him through the laptop Morgan held and had pointed toward him.

"Come on, guys. Surely my personal life isn't all that interesting," Reid said, squirming in his seat a little. He self-consciously tucked a hunk of hair behind his ear. He really needed to think about getting it cut again.

"You can't just stop a story once you start it," Penelope said. "We're all just looking out for you because we care about you."

She sounded so sincere, Reid decided to go ahead and tell them. "Okay. Well, like I said, I knocked on the door, and she answered."

"Wait, you never told us what she looked like," Prentiss interrupted.

"How does that matter?" Reid asked.

"So we can picture it. Now, just close your eyes and think back."

Reid rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not a victim in need of cognitive recall, Prentiss. I have perfect memory."

"Oh, right. Go ahead, then."

"She's a white female, long dark hair, though I've only seen it pulled up. Green eyes, pierced ears, but no other jewelry. She's about 5'7" with a slim, but curvy build. Is that detailed enough for you?" he asked.

"It is for me," Morgan said with a chuckle.

"Derek!" Penelope shouted through the laptop. "This girl is Reid's. No macking or whatever it is you call it."

"What, I never said she was my girl."

"Don't listen to them, Reid," Rossi interjected. "Just tell us what happened."

Spencer nodded his thanks to the voice of reason, "Thanks, Rossi. Anyway, I knocked, she answered, and though she wasn't as surly as she was the first time I knocked in the middle of the night, she didn't look all that happy to see me again. All she said was, 'Yes?' when she saw it was me. Then I apologized for intruding on her once again, and introduced myself properly. I said my name was Spencer Reid, and I waited for a few seconds for her to introduce herself."

"Given her previous attitude, I'm sure she didn't," JJ surmised.

"You're right. She didn't. She just stared at me, so I continued and told her that I'd known Mrs. Cavanaugh, the previous tenant, and was wondering what had happened to her."

All this talking was making Reid's mouth dry, so he paused to take a drink of water. All eyes were still on him, so he continued, "I half-expected her to yell at me again, but all she did was sigh, close her eyes, and when she opened them again, she looked almost sad, though I might have been wrong. Anyway, she informed me that Mrs. Cavanaugh was her grandmother."

"Wait a minute, did you say 'was'?" Penelope asked. "What happened to her?"

"That's what I asked, and though it was clear that Mary didn't really want to get into details, she said Mrs. Cavanaugh passed away in her sleep a few weeks ago. Apparently, it happened while we were out for a few days on a case."

"Oh, that's so sad," Prentiss said.

"Why is it sad? From what Reid's told us, she was a crotchety old bird who stole the gift baskets my Baby Girl left for him," Morgan said.

"So her name's Mary?" Hotch asked. Spencer almost started at his boss's voice. Though he was just across the aisle, Spencer was sure he wouldn't be interested in this topic.

"Yeah, she said. Mary Cavanaugh. Mrs. Cavanaugh was her grandmother, and since she had no other living relatives, she left everything to her granddaughter."

"That's nice," JJ said.

"I'd think so, but apparently, Mary's a doctoral student, and the timing was horrible. She had to take some time off of her studies to take care of her grandmother's effects and life, which means moving into the apartment, going through her stuff, and trying to get her life back on track."

"Well, it seems like you and she are getting alone fine now," Penelope said, smiling out from the laptop.

"Oh, no. This wasn't actually a conversation. After I introduced myself, she launched into this long-winded speech, and after promising me that she'd keep the noise down after 9:00 p.m., shut the door on my face again."

His story complete, Spencer sat back in his chair and picked up his water again, draining the bottle. He liked to hydrate and eat before a new case. He'd learned in the past that it never boded well to arrive at the scene thirsty or hungry. You never knew the quality of the food or drink at a new place. He wondered if it would be prudent to start packing himself food for trips such as these in the future.

"That's it?!"

Penelope's voice boomed from the laptop, startling Spencer so much that he dropped the empty water bottle. It rolled down the aisle of the plane and bounced against the door of the cabin galley.

"Baby girl, volume control, please," Derek admonished. "But she's right, Reid. So that's the end?"

"What else would there be?" he asked, perplexed.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"There is nothing to do. She promised to be quiet, and since I was unaware of her death weeks ago, I made a contribution in Mrs. Cavanaugh's name to her favorite charity," Spencer said with a shrug.

"I'm not talking about Mrs. Cavanaugh, pretty boy," Derek said with a grin. "I'm talking about Mary. By the way you described her, she sounds like a good catch."

"Who's very busy with school and settling her only relative's estate. The last thing she needs is a nosy neighbor."

"It sounds like what she needs is someone to listen to her," JJ said, leaning forward. She reached over and placed her hand on Spencer's. "She may be overwhelmed now, so maybe, when we get back, you can offer her a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen?"

"But -"

"I'm not saying you should pursue her, Spence," JJ said with a soft smile. "But don't you think she could use a friend?"

"Well, I guess so."

JJ nodded and leaned back. "I know so."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Though I usually write in a narrative style, I found this setup, with Reid extolling his adventures with his neighbor, more fun and cute to write. I may do the entire story this way. :) Thank you all for the views, reviews, faves, and follows. Keep it going!**


	3. Chapter 3

Spencer wouldn't like to think that cases were taking on a tone of normality, but when he walked up the stairs of his apartment building, he felt no different than he did the hundred or so other times in his FBI career. He remembered them all - whether he wanted to or not - but he made himself stop counting them individually by number when they passed 100. The names he'd remember, but the number was making him depressed.

At least this time, he thought, he'd sustained no injuries. No fistfights, no gunshots, no car crashes. They'd caught the bad guy - one less one in the world.

That thought always gave him a sense of satisfaction, and he hitched his messenger bag on his shoulder as he reached the landing. A night of reading and writing a letter to his mom sounded like a good idea to him right now.

No sound emanated from the door several feet away from him. He wondered about Mary Cavanaugh every once in a while over the past week. The team had refrained from asking about her past the first day on the plane, but he'd thought of her.

Should he take his friends' advice and try to befriend her? Considering she'd rebuffed him twice already, he didn't feel the need to find out if the phrase "third time's the charm" held any truth. He dug into his bag for his keys.

A feminine giggle and two pairs of shoes hitting the stairwell startled him so that he nearly dropped his keys back into his bag, but he grabbed them back up again. He'd nearly had the key in the lock when he heard her voice.

"Spencer Reid?"

He turned his head, his hand already turning the knob. "Yes?"

It was Mary coming up the stairs with a man beside her, their hands firmly entertwined.

"Hey, where have you been all week?"

"Out - out of town. For work," he said, his door frozen partially open as he took in the scene in front of him. She looked so different than the two times he'd seen her, but, he saw now, that was her at her worst. This was the real Mary Cavanaugh, and she had a beautiful smile and a boyfriend. They both were smiling at her.

"Wow, okay. Well, I'd knocked on your door a couple of times, you know, to say hello and apologize, but when you didn't answer, I thought maybe you were mad at me."

"No, no, not at all," Spencer answered hurriedly. "You explained that you were busy, so I understand."

He glanced over at her companion, and the man looked almost like his doppelganger in looks - dark, wavy hair, glasses, intelligent eyes - although Spencer had to admit the man was twice his size.

"Oh, sorry. Brent, this is Spencer Reid, my neighbor. Spencer, Brent Weiss, my boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you, Reid," Brent said, reaching out with the hand that wasn't tied tightly to Mary's. His voice, Spencer noted, was a couple octaves lower than his own.

"Likewise," Spencer replied. He never shook hands, but he allowed himself this one, given the tenuous relationship already going on already. He had plenty of hand antiseptic in the apartment.

"We promise not to make too much noise," Mary said with a smile, then pulled Brent along beside her to her own apartment door.

Spencer smiled to himself as he walked into the apartment. Well, that answered the question as to whether or not he should confront Miss Mary Cavanaugh or try to befriend her. Cultivating or even having personal relationships beyond that of simple friendship always posed a problem to him, and he had enough to worry about with work and family.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, he was back to work again. Thankfully, no new cases had come in, and they were all able to decompress over the weekend.<p>

He'd drank his first cup of coffee on the metro and was stirring the sugar into his second in the office kitchen when Penelope Garcia breezed into the room. He automatically picked up the carafe to fill her proferred mug.

"Oh, you are my prince this morning, boy genius," Penelope sighed.

"Don't let Morgan hear you say that. It's a bit early to fight for your honor," he quipped with a chuckle.

"Oh, nice comeback. I take it you had a good weekend, then?"

She cradled her newly filled mug in her hands and leaned against the counter. Spencer smiled. She looked as though she were settling in for a good round of gossip. He could have let her stew a bit, but knowing the closeness of his team, and their penchant to needle and question, he decided to tell the truth and avoid the inquisition.

"Yes, I did. After I got home after the case, I saw Mary in the corridor outside our apartments."

"Oh, really?" Penelope said, her entire face lighting up with anticipation.

"Yes. Mary and her boyfriend, a large, nice man by the name of Brent Weiss. They arrived just when I did. We said our hellos, and I spent the weekend reading and researching. Oh, and I wrote a letter to my mother."

She had no reply to that, so Spencer glanced up from his mug of coffee to see a look that was a cross between anticipation and utter disappointment. For a second, he almost wished something had happened between him and Mary, if only to wipe that look off of Penelope's face.

"She has a boyfriend?" Penelope said. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Poor you."

"No, no, no poor me," Spencer said with a hand held up to stave off her hug that he could see was coming. "Even though Mary Cavanaugh is a striking woman who I have sympathy towards given her situation, I'd only spoken with her - or really only been spoken to - for less than a minute. You guys were the ones who were pushing me to pursue a relationship."

"Oh."

"Exactly, 'Oh,'" Reid replied. "Look, I know all of you are only looking out for me, but really, I have no need for a romantic life right now."

Penelope sidled up next to him and placed her arm around his shoulders. "Oh, my sweet genius. I'm sorry we were so intrusive, but know this. Romance and love? They can't be scheduled. Sometimes they just show up when you least expect it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Thank you all for the reads, follows, favorites, and reviews for this little story. Special thanks to the few reviewers who pointed out that I shouldn't force the neighbor romance, as I was, seriously, probably, going to do. Not that I wanted to. It's just my norm, writing romance stories, but Spencer Reid is such a strong character, played magnificently by Matthew Gray Gubler, that he spoke to me during the writing of all three of these chapters. Not literally. I just couldn't write non-canon stuff for him. He's so literal and to the point that a normal romance isn't going to work. Criminal Minds is an awesome show, one that I've recently found (Yeah, I know, after 9 years), but I'm in love already with every single character and the premise of looking into the minds of the bad guys.**

**That's enough of me chatting. Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Profuse apologies for the delay. NEVER been so busy w/ work and life as I have been recently.**

**To bring you up to speed regarding this little story. Reid's love life has come to the attention of his workmates, after he tells them about a new, pretty neighbor, but he soon finds out she has a boyfriend. ****That's about it. I'd started this as a Reid romance story, but it's almost writing itself, and the romance aspect wasn't flowing. My reviewers also pointed out that it's kind of a cliche, which I agreed with. So, let's rejoin our BAU co-workers and have some fun. **

**In another note: Hi, Gwynne! :) **

* * *

><p>The higher-ups in the BAU clearly had never taken a course in Logic, Reid thought, as he sat at his desk in the bull pen. Several times now, they'd picked him personally to speak to college or even high-school students 'cause "he could relate to them more" because of his own youth. At first, he agreed with them, but the few times he'd tried to give a speech he'd always been met with blank stares at the end. Taking examples from others' speeches, he'd even tried to introduce some levity with a joke he'd recently heard in one of his Philosophy classes - one that had him chuckling for a few days - but nobody else laughed.<p>

He didn't think it was a bad idea on the whole, but maybe next time, he'd try something simpler. Existentialism wasn't all that well-studied, so maybe he'd keep it to-the-point and easy enough to understand this time.

* * *

><p>"Oh, you're kidding, right?" Prentiss asked. "The first girl Reid's been interested in since Maeve, and she's got a boyfriend?"<p>

"I know, I know," Penelope replied. "But he didn't seem too broken up about it. He looked almost relieved, tell you the truth."

JJ scoffed and leaned back in her chair. "Of course he would," she said to her friends and co-workers who were gathered in her office. "You know, sometimes I almost wish we'd gone past one date all those years ago."

"Wait," Prentiss said, scooting forward in her chair. "You dated Reid?"

"Oh, right," Penelope said, her eyes lighting up. "You weren't here then. Can I tell her? No, no, it's your story. Tell her, JJ."

"There isn't much to tell," JJ admitted with a laugh. "This was back when Gideon was on the team, and he took Spencer under his wing, teaching him all about the job and life in general. They played chess together every time we went out on the plane or came back. But one day, I guess, Gideon had given Spence football tickets and told him to ask me if I'd like to join him."

"I guess it was pretty terrible, then, huh?" Prentiss said with a smirk. "I can just picture Genius Boy on a date, all awkward and spouting facts nonstop."

JJ shook her head, remembering back. "No, actually, he acted like a perfect gentleman. Aside from Will, it was one of the best dates I've ever been on."

Both Penelope and Prentiss' mouths dropped open at the admission. Prentiss wouldn't have known, of course, but Penelope prided herself on knowing all, especially when it came to her adopted work-family. "So what happened, then? Neither you nor Reid said anything about it afterwards."

"Because there was nothing to tell," JJ admitted. "I could tell he was trying to be attentive and I guess romantic, but we're friends. We had so much fun just hanging out, anything else would have felt forced, I guess."

"That's too bad. You two would have been adorable together," Penelope said with a frown.

"All this is getting off the point."

Both Penelope and JJ turned towards Prentiss.

"All Reid does is hang out with us or read. He's getting too old to keep up that little boy lost persona."

All three women nodded, then sat back to their thoughts.

* * *

><p>Outside of JJ's office in the bull pen, Reid was oblivious to his friends' machinations into his life and was instead trying to keep down his anxiety and focus on the facts that he needed to impart to the dozen students shepherded in via their escort. From what he'd been told, they were masters and doctoral students hand-picked from local universities, and the agency was hoping to recruit them upon graduation. They'd already visited a couple of other departments, and he was tasked with explaining the BAU's role.<p>

He so wished some of the other members of the team were there to provide him some backup, but since they weren't on an active case, they'd all taken to their offices, and he hasn't seen any of them for a couple of hours.

"Hello, everyone. My - umm - I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, and I'm here to tell you about the important role the Behavioral Analysis Unit plays for the FBI."

He smiled at the group, but half of them look bored, and the other half held looks of disbelief. Whether it was because of him personally or the department's importance and role in law enforcement was answered when one of them, a young man who reminded him of a young Aaron Hotchner, spoke up.

"What does the FBI need with a doctor?" he asked. "Are you a psychologist or something?"

"Well, no, I'm an agent, but I do hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I also have doctorates in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering and Bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Philosophy, which I've recently finished."

"Holy crap, dude," the young Hotcher-lookalike said, his eyes wide. "What are you doing here, then?"

"I like my work," Reid answered, not quite understanding the young man's question. The rest of the group was still staring at him, so he decided to just get on with his speech. He still wanted to work in his new Philosophy joke, but the students didn't look like they were receptive to any amount of levity at this point. 10 minutes later, he'd finished and was happy to see most of the students were still paying attention and hadn't wandered off or were playing on their cell phones.

"Well, thank you, Dr. Reid. That was very informative," said their guide, whom Reid had never been introduced, though he'd seen her around the building.

"All right, if you would all follow me, I think a break is in order. Why don't we convene in the cafeteria, and then continue our tour?"

She then turned and headed out of the department, and Reid gave a half-smile and wave to the few students who said thanks. Well, he thought, at least none of them laughed outright or scoffed. Maybe he was getting better at this public speaking thing.

He turned to go back to his desk when he felt a hand at his sleeve. One of the students stood there, a young woman that he'd noticed when they first walked in, though she stood at the back of the group. He only noticed her 'cause of his own height. His immediate instinct as his gaze fell upon her registered that she was around 5'6", plainly but comfortably dressed, and her long light brown hair was tied at the nape of her neck and wrapped around itself. But then she lifted her head and began to speak, and he felt almost taken aback.

"Dr. Reid, do you have a minute?"

"Yes, of course," he replied immediately.

"Sorry for disturbing you. My name is Danielle, and I was just wondering, and you don't have to answer, but given your line of work, why Philosophy?"

He had to answer, he knew, but for some reason, he couldn't stop staring at her eyes, which were some intriguing mix of blue and green.

"Dr. Reid?"

"Oh," he said, giving himself a mental shake. "Philosophy. Well, to tell you the truth, it's more of a personal want. I began reading Descartes and found the entire subject fascinating. Continuing on with it seemed like the logical thing to do."

She smiled and gave a bit of a laugh at his turn of phrase. "I was just wondering, 'cause even though I earned a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice, I minored in Philosophy. Everybody kept making fun of me for it, but I think it has a lot of applications in real life, don't you?"

The enthusiasm and gusto of her speech had Reid returning her smile. "I do, actually. Say, have you ever heard about the guy who went to the solipsist convention?" he asked.

She tilted her head and blinked, but after a few seconds replied, "No, what about him?"

"Nobody showed up," Reid said with as much as a deadpan look on his face as he could muster. When he'd read the joke in one of his books, he wound up smiling for the rest of the day.

To his relief and delight, Danielle began to laugh immediately.

At that moment, the door to JJ's office opened, and Penelope's steps stuttered to a stop, making Prentiss and JJ stumble up against her.

"Garcie, what -"

"Shh, shh," Penelope said, lifting her hand and waggling her fingers at them. "Look at that."

The three of them followed where Penelope was indicating, and an audible gasp erupted from them as they saw the topic of their conversation, Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid, smiling and laughing with a pretty young girl.

Then, though they couldn't hear their conversation, Reid said something to her, and with his hand at her elbow, they both walked out of the bullpen and out of the department.

"Well, butter my biscuit," Penelope breathed. "Guess our resident genius doesn't need help, after all."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Kind of an homage to Reid's Philosophy joke in 4x18 "Masterpiece." Personally, I got that joke, and this one, as well. I didn't get a Philosophy degree, but took a handful of classes in college.**

**As for how long this story is going to be? Don't know. My writing time, unfortunately, isn't as often as I'd like it to be. Thank you, everyone, for the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows. Don't leave me hanging now. Keep the mutual admiration flowing, my lovelies.**

**Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

As the BAU team's presence wasn't needed on a case for the third day in a row, they all decided to make good use of the time and go out as a group to their local bar and hangout. They hadn't been able to do so for months, and as soon as they could, they were heading home to change clothes and make arrangements with significant others, family members, and friends. Hotch succeeded in getting a sitter for Jack and roped Beth along, and JJ brought Will. Even Rossi was talked into joining the group.

A couple of tables pushed together accommodated the larger-than-normal group, and Derek insisted on buying the first round and first pitcher for everybody. As he sat everyone's respective glasses around, he paused. "Hey, wait, we're missing one. Where's Pretty Boy?"

Everyone chuckled at the nickname except for Beth, and Hotch leaned over to explain.

"He said he was coming, right?" Derek asked Penelope.

"Mm, yeah, but maybe he got a better deal, right, girls?" she asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow behind her pink-rimmed eyeglasses.

Prentiss and JJ both grinned.

"What are you talking about? What kind of offer could Reid possibly have gotten over the past two hours?"

"Just something we saw this afternoon when he was giving that tour of the BAU to the college students," Emily said. "One of them stayed behind, and the last we saw, they were laughing and leaving the department together."

"That's it? I thought you were a top-notch profiler, Emily. Maybe I ought to reconsider hiring you," Hotch said with a smirk.

"No, no," Penelope piped up. "I may not be a profiler, but they were standing close together, and laughing like he just told a joke or something. You know the kind of jokes Reid tells. Nobody but him ever gets them. And then, as they were walking out, he had his hand on her elbow. Who does that?"

"I do that all the time with you, sweetness," Derek teased.

"You and I are the extreme exceptions to the rule," Penelope told him. Then, to the rest of the group, she said, "Guys, I really think he found someone."

"Okay, then, what's she look like?" Hotch asked.

Rossi took a sip of his aged whiskey and said, "About medium height, slender build, long, dark blonde hair that she pulls up on a regular basis, but haphazardly, so that some strands always slip through. Porcelain skin that says she spends more time indoors than out. And she has the most intelligent hazel eyes I've ever seen."

Mouths dropped all around the table at their senior co-worker, but the answer as to how he knew all that came as the object of their gossip spoke behind them.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late."

Seven pairs of eyes - Rossi was already looking at him - swung around to see Spencer Reid standing beside the table. Then their eyes all slid to Spencer's right where a woman matching Rossi's description stood.

"It's okay, Spencer," Rossi said with a smile, laughing a bit at his co-workers' reactions. "Derek has sprung for the first round, but we didn't know you were bringing a guest, or else we would have waited."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Danielle and I got to talking, and then I remembered you guys said we were all meeting here, so I decided to bring her along, if that's okay?"

Hotch found his voice first.

"It's no problem at all. Please, have a seat, Danielle, was it?"

She nodded, and Spencer pulled out the remaining empty chair for her to sit in while he grabbed another from a nearby table.

"It's nice to meet you all," Danielle said quietly, shivering a little internally at the scrutiny from all the eyes still focused on her.

"Let me introduce you to everybody," Spencer said as he sat down. "This is Aaron Hotchner and his girlfriend, Beth. He's my boss. Then David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jarreau and her husband, Will La Montaigne, Penelope Garcia, and Derek Morgan. Everyone, this is Danielle Croft."

Everyone said hello in varying stages, and Danielle answered them with her own and a smile.

Penelope glanced over at JJ and Emily, and they all nodded together. This was the same woman they'd seen laughing and leaving with Spencer in the bullpen earlier. Penelope smiled. "So, where did you guys meet?"

"Danielle was part of the university group that the director had me speak to. We got to talking after and haven't really stopped since," Spencer said with a laugh.

His date joined his laughter and accepted the glass of beer that Derek had poured for her. "Thanks."

"No problem," Derek said with a disarming smile. "So, you guys just started talking? What about?"

Danielle took a drink of her beer, grimacing a bit at its harsh taste, then said, "Well, Spencer mentioned that he'd gotten a degree in philosophy, and since that's part of my own course of studies, I wondered what part it played in his field of work."

"Right," Spencer said. "Danielle's hoping to join the FBI, as well, and is pursuing degrees in criminal justice, but is also including philosophy and sociology courses. We were discussing how the fields of study can overlap."

"Oh, tell them that joke you told me, Spencer," Danielle said, placing a hand on his arm. "It was so funny."

"Oh, you think so?"

Danielle nodded with a grin.

"Okay," Spencer said. He was pretty sure his friends would never get the joke, but Danielle was so insistent and her hand so warm on his arm, he decided to give it a shot. "So, umm, did any of you hear about the guy who went to the solipsist convention?"

They all shook their heads, so he continued, "Nobody else showed up."

Once again, Danielle laughed immediately, although she'd heard the joke already, but when she noticed no one else at the table did, as well, she said, "Get it? A solipsist believes that only he or she is proven to exist."

Upon Danielle's explanation, a round of giggles, smiles, and laughs erupts around the table.

"That one's pretty good, Reid," Rossi said, lifting his glass to the young man before emptying it.

Spencer colored a bit at the compliment, but mumbled a thanks before picking up his own drink.

"See, I told you they'd get it," Danielle whispered to him.

"Only after you explained it," he countered with a smirk.

"Not everybody can have a magnificent brain, you know," she said, lifting a hand to stroke his long hair. "You have to make provisions for the rest of humanity."

Penelope sipped her drink through its straw as the conversation continued around her. The focus of her attention, though, was on the couple across from her. Though she'd always looked on Spencer as the geeky younger brother she never had and never truly understood, the young genius with a broken heart held a soft spot in her own. When Maeve had died, they were all shocked and circled their wagons around the young man, hoping to bring him back to life, but, she saw, all it took was one sweet young woman who knew nothing of his past and heartache and heartbreak to do the job.

"Hey, baby girl, what got you thinking so hard over here?" Derek asked.

"Just thinking about life, you know," she said.

"Then how about doing some thinking with me on the dance floor?"

Penelope's eyebrows rose. She saw that other patrons of the bar were moving to the beat in a corner of the place, and, remembering how she sat, months ago, watching Derek getting his groove on while she watched with undisguised jealousy, she decided to take him up on his offer.

"I thought you'd never ask, hot stuff."

**THE END**

**A/N And so ends this little romance tale into Spencer Reid's world. I had a lot of fun writing it and hope you enjoyed it, as well. Please review. Thanks.**


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